Thomas Beatie made history 16 years ago as the world’s first publicly known transgender man to become pregnant and give birth.
Assigned female at birth in 1974 as Tracy LaGondino in Hawaii, Thomas began identifying as male at age 10 and started hormone therapy at 23. A former teen pageant finalist and martial arts champion, he later underwent chest surgery and legally changed his gender, while keeping his reproductive organs.
In 2006, Thomas paused hormone therapy to have a child after fertility struggles with his then-wife Nancy. Their daughter Susan was born in 2008, making headlines worldwide as Beatie became known as “the pregnant man.” Despite backlash, including death threats and medical discrimination, Thomas gave birth to three children in total.
He spoke openly about his experience on The Oprah Winfrey Show, advocating for reproductive rights regardless of gender identity.
Following a divorce from Nancy, Thomas later married Amber and now lives in Oregon with their blended family. He currently works as a stockbroker and occasionally does public speaking and acting.
Reflecting on his journey, Thomas said: “There wasn’t a single public transgender man at the time. I think exposing the importance of fertility for trans people was a huge eye-opener.”